Blend in while being a tourist
On Travel
Karin Kemp thought she’d done everything she could to not look like a tourist in Belgium. She wore muted clothes, learned helpful phrases in French and Flemish, and did her best to blend in. Still, Americans would stop her on the street to ask for directions.
“I finally asked one how he knew I was an American,” says Kemp, a retired graphic designer from Matthews, North Carolina. “He pointed to my shoes.”
She was wearing white sneakers. Gotcha!
You should be concerned about fitting in, even if you’re an artist like Kemp is. Standing out while you’re visiting another place can make life uncomfortable – and it could even cost you yours.
This summer, four visitors cycling in Tajikistan were targeted and killed by terrorists. The U.S. State Department is continuously warning Americans about travel abroad, sometimes advising them to stay away from touristy areas.
So how do you not look like a tourist, even if you are one? It’s a combination of wearing the right clothes, visiting the right places, and behaving in an un-touristy way, say experts.
It’s what you wear
“Nothing identifies you more like a tourist and an American as white Nike sneakers,” says Kemp.
Sometimes, blending in means staying away from clothes marketed to travelers.
“Locals don’t wear zip-off pants and breathable mesh shorts,” says Summer Davis, who spent two years as a tour guide in Morocco.
Cameras also are a dead giveaway.
It’s where you go
Paula Miller, a retired teacher who lives in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, watches the ebb and flow of tourists in her town. “It’s pretty easy to figure out if they are tourists,” she says.
“From the erratic driving patterns to the entire family visiting the grocery store. Most of our visitors rent houses near the beach, so they are often stocking up at the grocery store and trailing each other around the aisles.
“We have one main road, and people often make sudden braking moves or turn without signaling.”
Sometimes, tourists flock to dangerous places. For example, the State Department warns that visitors to Turkey should “stay alert” in locations frequented by Westerners, particularly at popular tourist locations in Istanbul. The reason is simple: For the bad guys, tourist attractions are a target-rich opportunity.
It’s how you act
The final way to not look like a tourist is to not act like one.
When I lived in Orlando, we could always tell the tourists by their vehicles. They drove overpacked minivans that occasionally veered off I-4 because Dad was driving all night to get to Disney World.
More tips
❚ Think of it as a game. At least that’s how behavioral strategist Ron Evans describes the art of blending in. “How closely can I mimic surrounding behavior to fit in without notice?” asks Evans, who runs a consulting firm called Group of Minds.
❚ No maps! “Don’t walk around with a giant map in your hands,” says Alexa Amador, a digital marketer for a health services company in Sugar Land, Texas, who frequently visits Europe.
❚ Slow down. Tourists try to do everything in a day. “Just be still for a while – at a café table, on the perimeter of a tourist site, on the bench by the river,” advises Debra Ruzbasan, a sales manager for Ed-Ventures, a tour operator. “You will blend in. You will also be less of a target for pickpockets and other nuisances.”